114 | The Transcendent Rant (Chapter 1)

May 9

Date: May 9, 2022

Slight change... In these “rant” episodes, I'm not going to do a separate Minute of Transparency.

My thought is that I'm going to be pretty transparent throughout the entire episode - so I don't want to overwhelm you 🙂

Today's Topic: The Transcendent Rant (Chapter 1)

Simple Eschatology
COVID Recap
The Putin Puppet
The Coming Cashless Society

// 1. SIMPLE ESCHATOLOGY

So the "rant" for today might be a little unique...because all of the things I found to rant about are connected.

So this Chapter may almost feel like a regular episode. Because there is a common theme, or flavor if you will...

All of the things I want to rant about today fall into the category of Eschatology - which is just a big word for the study of End Time events.

Now some people have zero context for this. Others have way too much context. And then there are those in the middle somewhere:

Me: Raised 7th Day Adventist:
- What's that you ask?
- Protestant Christian Denomination - but very misunderstood
- In Walter Martin's definitive book on cults called: The Kingdom of the Cults
- He lists the Seventh-Day Adventists in the Appendix
- In a chapter called, "The Puzzle of Seventh-Day Adventism"
  - He explains that he is puzzled over their theology
  - He can't in good faith call them a cult
  - But at the same time they don't fit perfectly into his narrow view of what a mainstream Christian churches should believe and teach
- Interesting, but not important for our discussion today. All you need to know for today is what makes up the name:
  - 7th Day: The belief that 7th Day (or Saturday) has always been God's day of worship
    - It was given during Creation
    - It was continued throughout the life of the Patriarchs
    - It was adhered to be the people of Israel
    - And it continues to this day
    - The belief is that the Sabbath was never meant to be changed to Sunday
  - Adventism: A strong belief in the Advents:
    - #1 That Jesus came to Earth as a Baby
    - #2 The belief that He will return to Earth at the End of Time as King
- So you can imagine, based on my upbringing, that I had a lot of conversations about the End of Time:
  - At home
  - At church
  - And at my Christian School
Next, are people raised in a mainstream, traditional Christian home:
- Catholics, or mainstream Protestants
- In these homes it was probably hit or miss
- End of Time conversations may have happened - but not necessarily - since Eschatology is not one of the key beliefs in most of these religious denominations
Next, you have Christian people who have no desire to understand the End of Time:
- My wife is a little this way - and when she explains, she says things like:
  - "It's confusing"
  - "It's more of an argument or a debate than something to understand"
  - "It's scary, sad and not very fun to think about"
- I get it - completely true!
- It isn't the easiest thing to understand
- People do debate it until they are blue in the face
- And it has been cause for polarization and division in the church for years
Next, people with NO strong spiritual beliefs or ties to a church or denomination:
- Most of these people grew up with no frame of reference for the End of Time
- But let's say at some point they read something, or watched something that opened that door
- For example: Maybe they found the Left Behind book series by Tim LaHaye & Jerry B. Jenkins
- This book series injected the End of Time concept into our culture like a shot of adrenaline
- It was a global phenomenon - a best selling series at the time - not unlike the Harry Potter books to more recent generations
- For millions of people - both Christian and non-Christian - this was their introduction to Eschatology - and the idea that the world would end someday
And finally - there are people with a worldly view of the End of Time:
- People who would not consider themselves spiritual or religious
- People who probably didn't grow up in church
- People who may not even read books like the Left Behind series
- So where do people like this develop End of Time scenarios? You guessed it - at the movies:
  - This Is the End, The Road, It Comes at Night, The Day After, 12 Monkeys, Fail Safe, Children of Men, A Quiet Place, Wall-E, Mad Max, Deep Impact, Armageddon, Contagion, Annihilation, 28 Days Later
  - And the list goes on and on...
- Think about those movies - and all the other ones we've seen that include a protagonist saving the world from imminent destruction?
- Or how many dystopian movies where the world has already ended, and life after the apocalyptic event is nothing like the previous life
- There is a HUGE part of the world's population that have movies as their only source of information about the End of Time
- If you went out on the street and asked 1000 people how the world will end? You would probably hear things like:
  - Global warming
  - An asteroid
  - Nuclear war
  - Global food crisis
  - Flooding from the polar ice caps melting
  - Things like that
  - Things that Hollywood is quick to jump on - portraying them with all the action, suspense, flair and CGI known to man

And that's just a few of the ways people have been introduced to this concept of the End of Time.

Now, I know that some listening probably have PhD's in Biblical Studies. And there are those that aren't even sure what I'm talking about...

So this isn't going to turn into a 6 hour lesson in Bible Prophecy.

However, because Transcend Human is based on Christianity - which is based on the Bible - I probably need to pull that in on some level.

Transcend Human believes that the Bible includes Absolute Truth - Truth we can use to build a solid foundation when it comes to the whole Eschatology thing...

If we don't go this route - we're simply speculating. And unfortunately speculation isn't helpful. Similar to people and their opinions on social media. Are you really willing to trust your life to someone's opinion on TikTok?

So like I said - no Bible Prophecy today. I'll stay away from books like Daniel, Isaiah and Revelation.

Instead, let's just look at some higher level stuff. Less controversial. Let's look at Matthew and Thessalonians:

Signs of the End: Matthew 24:4-14

Famines, Pestilences, Pandemics, Sickness
Wars, and rumors of wars
Earthquakes
False Teachers/False Prophets (People saying, "I am Christ")
Persecution (Being hated by "all nations" - basically the entire world )
Hearts growing cold (People will be offended by each other, betray each other and hate one another)
Gospel taken to the whole world

What the Day of the Lord looks like: 1 Thessalonians 4 & 5, 2 Thessalonians 2

The Day of the Lord:
- Just another way of saying the End of Time
- "Like a thief in the night"
- Will not know the day or hour when God will return
- But we need to be aware of the times we're living in, the climate, the signs from Matthew
- It says we need to "watch and be sober"
  - Explanation about sober being literal and figurative
The Order of Operations at the End of Time:
- It suggests that there will be four groups of people at the End of Time:
  - Alive: Team God
  - Alive: Team Satan
  - Dead: Team God
  - Dead: Team Satan
- So the author helps the reader understand what will happen to these four groups of people, and in what order, when Jesus returns:
  - Step 1: There will be a "falling away" - people leaving what they know to be true and joining Team Satan (whether they fully understand what they're doing or not)
  - Step 2: The "lawless" one will be revealed. This means different things to different people. But to me this has always meant "true evil" is revealed, or allowed to become obvious in the world:
    - Just as there is a Holy trinity: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit
    - So too, Satan, who wants nothing more than to be God, created his own Unholy Trinity. Made up of Satan, the Beast and the False Prophet (this does come out of the Book of Revelation so we'll leave it alone for now) 🙂
  - Step 3: After these two things happen - Jesus returns to Earth. He comes in the clouds and remains there while the rest of the Steps take place
  - Step 4: Those who are dead - but on Team God will be raised from the dead. Now it doesn't say this explicitly, but we're led to understand the dead on Team Satan remain dead
  - Step 5: Those raised from the dead, and on Team God will be made perfect, and will rise to meet Jesus in the sky
  - Step 6: Those who are alive and on Team God will join them - rising to meet Jesus in the sky
  - Step 7: We assume, based on other passages of scripture, that the living on Team Satan will not be able to handle the sight of Jesus. They will be consumed as if by fire because they weren't changed - and remain unable to be in the presence of a perfect God

So there you go - quick rant on Eschatology - but VERY high level. I mean this is like tip of the iceberg stuff.

Bible Prophecy has a LOT more to say about this, and gets very detailed about history, the state of the world and what will happen at the End of Time.

But that's for another day...

// 2. COVID RECAP

So let's jump to the pandemic...

And when I say "recap" - I'm not talking about going over the science, the origin, patient zero, infection rates, modes of transmission, variants or even the deaths.

Although those are all important things - things our grandkids will read about in their History books someday.

But what I'm talking about is more in line with our theme for today - how the pandemic fits into our beliefs about the End of Time.

As I said earlier - I grew up with an awareness of the End of Time - that is was a thing, and that it would happen someday.

And I still remember hearing my parents go back and forth about it. They's say things like:

"For many years we believe the world would end in our lifetime."
"Now, we're not so sure."

And then something big would happen in the world and they would immediately be back on the End of Time train.

And on some level I fell into the same habit:

In high school and college - when I was studying Bible Prophecy I was all about it - and believed it would happen in my lifetime
Then I started working, had a family, and life just mellowed into the day to day out routine
The world kept spinning - and the whole End of Time thing took a back seat
Until September 11, 2001
All of a sudden - the world was in turmoil, falling apart and our country was being attacked
Needless to say, all that energy about the End of Time resurfaced
It felt very spiritual on some level with the perpetrators being Islamic, and having religious reasons for the things they did
And it was amazing how many of our freedoms we gave up in a very short amount of time in order to protect our country from outside threats
It was as if the whole world stopped for a month or two - until we could adjust, and keep moving forward
Then, the world went back to spinning and the End of Time thing too a backseat again...
Until 2020 - and the pandemic
I can still remember chatting with my parents a few months into lockdown - and the conversation turned to the End of Time

Now I wouldn't consider myself an alarmist...or a full blown conspiracy theorist.

What I hope I am is a Conscientious Observer. Someone who takes it all in. Notices the uniqueness of world events. And is able to follow the overall trend in the culture. Then, after digesting it all - can take those things and develop a clearer picture of the future:

Not a snapshot the minute a big event happens
And not a picture based on wild, tangential ideas and hypotheses
Just a clear picture based on the simple warning signs the Bible provides us in Matthew.

The tragedy of 9-11, definitely checked the "wars and rumors of wars" box. Including all the subsequent military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

But like I said - it came and went pretty quickly. Maybe because that's all we were feeling at the time - just "wars and rumors of war."

There weren't a lot of other things from the list going on in the world. At least looking back at that time in history.

But when COVID hit - all of a sudden there was a big one we hadn't seen before.

"Famines, pestilences, pandemics and sickness."

I'm pretty sure COVID fits into that category!

But it wasn't just the fact that it was a pandemic. It was everything that got wrapped into it:

Like the fact that it was a global pandemic:
- When is the last time we (here in America) suffered alongside the rest of the world?
- When have we experienced something that hit all people the same?
- Regardless where we live, what we do for a living or our financial status?
- It was a unique situation where the entire world was experiencing the same thing at the same time
Next was the political mess:
- Not that the pandemic created the political polarization we saw
- But I'm sure it played into it
- We made a hard course correction from the right to the left
- We had the leader of our country suggesting our voting system was corrupt
- We had the insurrection at the Capitol
- And the polarization continues to this day
- It was only last week that the Roe v. Wade opinion was leaked - causing a renewed level of polarization between right and left
During COVID we saw social unrest:
- Racial tension
- Police brutality
- Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Daunte Wright, Breonna Taylor
- Just to name a few who died during COVID and the media firestorm that followed
- This social unrest definitely added another sign to the list
- "Hearts growing cold" (People being offended by each other, betraying each other and hating one another)
Fear & Uncertainty:
- I don't know about you - but I've never really been uncertain, or afraid living in the US
- I'm sure part of that is related to white privilege - and being a white male
- But there has always just been a sense of stability for me during my lifetime
- Yes we've had natural, political, and social ups and downs - but I've always been optimistic - assuming it will all average out
- And that at the end of the day my life wasn't going to be impacted much by these ripples in the fabric of time
- But COVID did a number on this level of positivity
- And I think it did for most of us:
  - We were forced out of our comfort zones
  - Work from home, or simply don't work
  - We sensed a new level of governmental control
  - Masks, Social distancing, all the rules with traveling and gathering
  - We were told what businesses could survive and which would be allowed to tank
  - All the testing, quarantining and vaccination chaos
  - And we saw strange attempts at the government trying to support citizens:
    - Allowing you to apply for loans you didn't have to pay back
    - Allowing compensation for COVID unemployment
    - Sending us tax credit money based on the number of kids in the house
    - Forcing landlords not to evict during the pandemic
    - All new things that at times seemed right and helpful, but also made us ask, "How on earth is this going to work?!"

// 3. THE PUTIN PUPPET

So COVID checked the "Famines, Pestilences, Pandemics, Sickness" box

The political and social climate during the pandemic checked the "Hearts growing cold" box

And then Russia invaded Ukraine. Which adds a check by the "Wars, and rumors of wars" box.

Now I'm not going to spend a lot of time on this one - because I think the entire world has had a front row seat to what is going on.

But I will say this about the invasion of Ukraine:

First of all - there are certain people on Earth that I believe Satan has partnered with:
- Think about Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein and Idi Amin
- Putin is just another in this line of men who gave themselves over to evil
I believe Satan worked his tail off with these guys - manipulating and coercing them
Eventually, getting them into position to do his work on Earth
And I believe Putin did the same - joining forces with Satan in order to do evil in the world
Whether he views it that way or not - who knows
He may not even view the world in terms we talk about on the podcast - that a controversy exists between God and Satan
But regardless - he made his choice. He gave himself over to Satan - and is doing the work Satan would have him do
Sure - Putin has the freedom of choice just like we do - but he has become a puppet or sorts - so fueled by anger, hatred and pride that he has convinced himself he's in the right - working for the betterment of Mother Russia
The connection is pretty obvious if you ask me:
- Satan is referred to as the "Father of Lies"
- And Putin is working off the same playbook - gaslighting his people, and the world by engaging in genocide - then calling the atrocities staged to make him look bad
- And that's just a small example of the lies, and manipulation being used to keep the Russian people on board, and the world on pause so he can press on with his "scorched earth" invasion on Ukraine

To most of the world - Putin's intentions are obvious.

And yet - there is only so much we can do to help the Ukraine. Based on the NATO charter, and the fact that we're dealing with a lunatic that has numerous nuclear weapons.

We're really between a rock and a hard place.

// 4. THE COMING CASHLESS SOCIETY

So another thing that came up during the COVID pandemic is the economy.

Obviously it was hit hard when businesses were forced to close, the new construction market ground to a halt, new car production stopped, used car and rental car prices skyrocketed. All of that, along with the slowing of the supply chain and the inability to get what was needed to keep commerce flowing - led to inflated costs for everything.

We see it mostly in gas, and in food prices. But the ripple effect is far more pervasive than that. Every product or service touched by supply chain issues or the cost of gas has bumped their prices up to account for those things.

And it all trickles down to the end user - the consumer like you and me just trying to survive on the same salary we had in 2019.

But this isn't the only thing happened when it comes to money.

There is another movement - just kicking into high gear - and that is crypto-currency.

It's taking off for many reasons - not the least of which is the fact that it's the wild wild west - and people stand to make a lot of money. Just like the gold rush in the 40's, and the dot com revolution in the 90's crypto is the latest and greatest way to build wealth.

Friends of mine - typically the ones who are into other cutting edge tech - are all about crypto. They're building mining farms in their basements, or in their cabins in the woods. Multiple computers hooked up together running 24/7 mining for Bitcoin.

So am I saying it's a bad thing?

Not necessarily - I mean on some level you could view it the same way we viewed the introduction of .mp3 files for music.

When the technology first became available it was the wild wild west right? People were converting CD's to .mp3 and sharing them on sites like Napster, and other torrent sites.

The music industry quickly became frustrated because they started losing money. But eventually they had to evolve - because .mp3s weren't going away. This led to the birth of music streaming, and the subscription based music platforms we have today.

Now, if someone saw you put a CD into your Discman - they would laugh you out of town...

And this is how I see things going with crypto. It's still in the wild wild west phase - but at some point, banks and government regulators are going to realize it's here to stay - and they're going to find a way to control it - and monetize it for themselves.

Which means it will become the norm - and at some point we may all be forced to use it.

Which brings up another End of Time concept I grew up with: The idea that we will be living in a "Cashless Society" at the End of Time.

Why? Simple.

In order for people to be persecuted for their beliefs. In order for the Bible's explanation that people will not be allowed to buy or sell - cash can't be a thing.

https://www.bible.com/bible/114/rev.13.17

Pretty simple - right?

If you have cash - you can purchase things with nobody but you and the person you're buying from knowing that the transaction took place.

But in a "cashless society" this option is removed.

When all money is exchanged in a digital format - there is a record of it. And that record can be tracked, or even stopped by the powers that be.

Right now that doesn't even seem possible. We live in a free society with privacy and protections. But all it would take is a national, or global crisis to change all that. For the government to remove these protections in the name of "national security" for example. And just like that - a hold could be placed on your bank accounts, PayPal, Zelle, Venmo, Apple Pay and most likely our crypto holdings in the future.

And that's an environment in which persecution is possible.

Not. that people aren't persecuted right now, and not that there aren't other ways. I mean you can simply lock someone up on a trumped up charge - and there you go - persecution.

But the Bible is interestingly clear in that at the End of Time, people will be controlled by their access to money. The phrase "...that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark..." is pretty clear.

Now the mark is a whole other thing - but we'll save that for a future rant...

For now - I'm just bringing up a possible End of Time scenario. One where cash no longer exists - and one where people can be controlled because of it.

Let's land the plane:

This week's Transcendent Rant turned out to be a little lopsided. All leaning toward Eschatology.

However, that won't be the case most of the time.

Before we go, here are a few takeaways from this week's rant:

You don't need to be a hard core student of Bible Prophecy to become a Conscientious Observer
COVID, and the last few years have really ramped things up when it comes to the signs of the end found in Matthew. Here are the boxes we can check:
- Famines, Pestilences, Pandemics, Sickness
- Wars, and rumors of wars
- Earthquakes
- False Teachers/False Prophets (People saying, "I am Christ")
- Persecution (Being hated by "all nations" - basically the entire world )
- Hearts growing cold (People will be offended by each other, betray each other and hate one another)
- Gospel taken to the whole world
Does it make sense that we will be living in a "Cashless Society" at the End of Time?
- If it makes sense to you - you might want to add that to Matthew's list - as another sign
- So if, or when, cash is removed - we'll know there is one more box checked

Well, I think that's all I have in me for this rant.

If you liked this format - please let me know! Or if you didn't like it - let me know that too.

I'm a big boy and appreciate all feedback.

Just shoot it over to info@transcendhuman.com and I'll try to reply as time allows.

Thanks for hanging with us this week.

Next week we're back with a more traditional episode called Transcending Positivity. Choosing the mood we want to live in the majority of the time - vs. reacting emotionally every time our circumstances change.

Until then, have a great week, and as always, keep Transcending Human!

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